Corel Corporation Appoints Vice-President, Channel Sales

My spin:Just when you wonder if Corel is on its last breath or not…hope comes through!
Former Microsoft Sales Director Joins Corel as Company Gives Greater Focus, Attention to Channel Strategy & Partnerships
Ottawa, Canada – November 19, 2002 – Corel Corporation (NASDAQ: CORL, TSX: COR) today announced the appointment of John Deegan to the position of Vice-President, Channel Sales. He is responsible for fortifying Corel’s relationships with channel partners, strengthening the company’s channel strategy and increasing sales of its enterprise and consumer-focused software solutions in North America.
Mr. Deegan joins Corel following 11 years with Microsoft Corporation, where he built a solid track record of success in driving Microsoft’s channel strategies to augment channel sales. Mr. Deegan served as Senior Director of Channel Sales for the company’s South Pacific and Americas region, overseeing Microsoft’s channel strategies, sales, services and marketing programs for large-account resellers and direct marketing resellers in the U.S. He began his career in channel sales at Microsoft as the account executive for Software Spectrum, Inc. from 1994 to 1997. During this period, Software Spectrum grew to be the largest reseller worldwide. In his most recent position at Microsoft, Mr. Deegan worked as a Senior Managing Consultant within the company’s Consulting Services division, which delivers services and solutions to enterprise customers.
“We are very pleased to bring John on board to spearhead our channel strategy,” said Steve Houck, Executive Vice-President of Partner Relations for Corel Corporation. “Corel has always valued its channel partners, a core sales vehicle for many of our software solutions. With this appointment, we are giving our channel strategy and partnership development greater focus and attention. Combined with John’s solid background and expertise in this area, we expect that this increased focus will enable the company to expand its presence and relationships within the channel community.”
“I am very excited to join Corel and help support the company’s renewed commitment to its channel partners,” said Mr. Deegan. “We are extremely focused on delivering a compelling channel strategy that will enable our partners to team with Corel to maximize the opportunities represented by our consumer and enterprise solutions. There are some incredible new partnering opportunities ahead for the channel community, both through our existing software solutions and upcoming new releases, and I look forward to helping our channel partners take full advantage of these joint initiatives.”
“John has built an outstanding reputation in the channel community and we are pleased to see him leading Corel’s channel strategy,” said Keith Coogan, CEO of Software Spectrum. “This appointment demonstrates Corel’s strong commitment to its channel partners and renewed focus on supporting our needs.”